Intelligence officials have been able to discover key weaknesses and examine secret systems on Russia’s most advanced operational tank captured by Ukraine.
Western scientists have been able to scrutinise the T-90M, including its specialist armour and targeting systems, after it was abandoned by fleeing Russian troops late last month following Ukraine's lightning offensive in the Kharkiv region.
It was found in near perfect condition with only one track missing.
Specialist teams will likely now be able to unlock the tank's sophisticated defence systems that include Nakidka stealth material that absorbs heat and radio signals, potentially cloaking it from Nato surveillance aircraft while offering protection from precision-guided missiles.
The National understands that the prize tank has been taken to an undisclosed location in western Ukraine or Poland where technicians have been able to minutely inspect its systems.
“It is in a lab being disassembled with tech reports sent back to the US and the UK for exploitation,” said a security source.
“It is a question understanding the tank and its defensive mechanisms that will help us to overcome them.”
The technical reports will include the inspection of the tank’s active protection system called Afghanit, which can intercept missiles at short range.
While the T-90M, which costs $5 million and has a crew of three, has the standard explosive reactive armour, its main metal composite protection was a secret.
Papers will also be written on the T-90M's computerised fire-control system as well and the 125mm gun’s ability to fire guided shells that have a longer range and are up to 20 per cent more accurate than Russia’s standard tank guns.
The tank has the latest Russian aiming device, giving it a “hunter-killer engagement capability” where the tank commander uses a panoramic sight with thermal vision to track targets, something standard on most Nato systems.
“The T-90M has got a much more modern suite of explosive reactive armour designed around the shape of the vehicle and its turret,” said Sam Cranny-Evans of the Rusi think tank.
“This tank will undergo technical exploitation that can be highly valuable in terms of next-generation lethality.”
The vehicle also has an upgraded weapon systems with a revised auto-loader that can fit longer projectiles that have much greater penetration than the standard T-90 variant developed in the nineties.
A T-90M that was spotted in 2021 also had a telescopic mast fitted with optical sensors, which will be examined if it is on the captured vehicle.
“This will add to the information that the West has gained by its access to captured Russian equipment that include missiles that have crashed in Ukraine without exploding,” said Brig Ben Barry, a Russian military specialist.
“Like the tank, we will now be able to analyse those in detail and work out better ways to stop them.”
Brig Barry added scientists would now be able to discover the “the weaknesses of Russian armour” that would help Nato and its allies defeat Moscow’s most advanced modern tanks.
Fourteen years passed before the US was able to get hold of a T-72 tank when it became operational but now it has the latest T-90 only two years after it entered service.
It had been thought that the Russians were holding back their advanced T-90Ms, which only became operational in April 2020, for fear they would be needed in a wider conflict with Nato.
But their heavy tank losses, which include 380 captured intact by Ukraine, have led to Moscow deploying its most modern arms to hold back the Ukrainian offensive that, western officials disclosed on Tuesday, was penetrating further into Russian-seized territory.
While the Russians have ordered 400 of the new tanks, it is believed only 40 have been delivered to the 1st Guards Tank Army, which receives the latest equipment, as it is supposed to defend Moscow and is the most loyal to President Vladimir Putin.
The ability to examine the new turret will “provide a greater level of insight into its armour composition”, said Andrew Galer of Janes, the defence intelligence provider
Foreign militaries will be able to examine its internal mission systems as well as “their impact on crew reaction times, possible blind spots and real use statistics”, he added.
However, all tanks are still vulnerable to the “top-down” missile attack on their turrets, which potentially accounted for the first ever T-90M being knocked out in the summer.
The biog:
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian
Favourite food: Pizza
Best food on the road: rice
Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
Gothia Cup 2025
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The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
THREE
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Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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MEFCC information
Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.
